


outcasts, go

by aliiceangeliic



Series: california never felt like home to me [1]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Fight Scenes, Gen, Jason Todd is Red X, Prologue, Unlikely teamups, admittedly the fight scene is badly written because I do not know how to violence but still, and no one uses terra's name because they just don't know it, morally gray characters, seriously this is just the 'how we got here' to what i really want to write, sorry terra i lov u, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 09:27:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15434010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliiceangeliic/pseuds/aliiceangeliic
Summary: A living dead boy, the girl who betrayed the Titans, and the walking curse. Not exactly what anyone would consider a working team, and yet...But then, there's consequences. There always are.





	outcasts, go

The thing is, it’s so easy to change fate. A chance meeting, saying something where in another life there’s silence- a simple movement can change the world. Or at least, that’s what Jinx had read, once upon a time. It had been an attempt to convince herself she wasn’t just bad luck, wasn’t cursed with being a curse from the very beginning. That attempt had long since been forgotten in the wake her life, but every now and then she would remember. Like right now.

‘Now’ being caught in what can only be described as “absolute chaos” involving a blonde geokinetic girl, a boy in an oversized jacket, a car being thrown in their general direction and what can only be assumed to be yet another up and coming villain in Jump City. She’s almost insulted- surely the moron knows that she’s not someone to mess with. Or maybe he’s just dumb, she doesn’t know. But Blondie had overturned a chunk of the road to hide behind, and Jinx and the boy had quickly taken cover with her. 

Somehow, Jinx couldn’t help but think that this was not how today was meant to go. 

“Alright, just who does he think he is?” Jinx grumbled, peeking around the makeshift shield momentarily while the air went calm for a few moments. 

“What, you didn’t hear? He’s calling himself ‘the _ real  _ Titan’ or something.” 

Both girls froze.

“In Jump City.” Blondie says, tone level while she frowns in what can only be disbelief.

“Yep."

“You’re not serious.” Jinx says flatly.

“Hey, I’m not the one who came up with it.” The boy says, putting his hands up while he shifts lower, sliding down against the shifted concrete as the noise starts up. 

For a moment Jinx thinks, before tilting her head towards the others. “Aren’t the Teen Titans out of town right now?” She asks- the HIVE had been planning on taking advantage of their absence as best they could, after all- Jinx herself had been scouting out places to hit later tonight with her team. And, okay, one of her favorite coffee joints had a limited time only drink that she wanted to try and today had been the first time she’d been able to get out of that miserable school.

After a moment, Jinx peaks around again. If this “Titan” was going to continue like this, he would only make life far more difficult later. Best to nip that problem in the bud. Besides, she thinks, the idiot just trashed one of her favorite boutiques. She had plans for that place and he single-handedly just ruined them. Moving back to full cover, she sighed. She really should just leave it, but...

“Blondie.” Jinx says, causing both of the strangers to glance at her. “Is this the extent of your abilities?”

“Uh- what?” 

“Are you only good for cover or is there anything else you can do?” 

“Oh- uh, I can move them- the rocks, I mean. It’s hard to control, though.”

The boy frowns for a moment. “Just what are you planning? You’re not exactly the hero type, you know.” 

It takes far too much effort not to roll her eyes. “No duh, but that guy is going to ruin everything if he goes unchecked. I do have a grade to worry about, you know.” 

“Wait, so, you guys actually go to school for this stuff? Is this guy a classmate or something?” Blondie asks, and if Jinx didn’t know better she’d swear the girl was trying not to laugh. 

“Yes, and no. If he was, he’d be back at school right now. There’s no… field assignments right now.” 

“I can’t believe this is an actual thing. That- that you go to school for this, oh my God.” The boy says, one hand over his face. “You couldn’t have gone to a normal school, nooo, you went to the one teaching people how to properly destroy a small block and hold up video stores.” 

“That’s none of your business, either of you!” Jinx snaps, before the crash of a chunk of asphalt goes flying overhead, sending rubble down as it crashes through the nearby building. “Listen, this guy needs to be stopped-” 

“Yeah, for your grades, right-” 

“Not. The time. This guy is going to get people  _ killed _ . I like mayhem, not  _ murder _ .” 

“Didn’t your team once use a bus as a weapon?” The blonde girl asks, having been previously focused on sending the rubble away from them before it could hurt the three. 

Jinx pauses. “It didn’t have anybody in it.” 

“Right.” It’s not Blondie this time but their unfortunate companion instead, and even though he’s wearing sunglasses Jinx can tell just from the tone of his voice that he’s rolling his eyes.

She quickly decides she’d like to punch him in his mouth. Still, they keep getting off point, and she can hear screams and the sound of people running still, sirens, and the cracks of concrete and pavement breaking. 

“If you’re done, I think we can stop him before someone dies. Like us. He _ did  _ nearly get a chunk of building to fall onto the streets at the start of this.” Jinx tells the two, trying not to let her agitation show in her voice. Before the boy can say anything, she sighs. “No, I don’t know what you can do, but we’re running out of time. Blondie, are you willing to work with me?” 

The girl nods, but the way she bites her lip and shrinks down slightly is concerning. Maybe it’s fear? This… Titan, after all, had managed to clear the street in minutes and they could still hear havoc. Or perhaps she’s new to her powers. Jinx doesn’t know- can’t afford to find out right now, either. 

“I’ll be honest, I have no idea how you fight,” Jinx tells her. “But if we can get the jump on him, we probably have a chance.” 

“Right- uh- do you think I could just trap him in rocks?” 

“Mmm… maybe after he’s worn down. We’ll give it a try. Now let’s go.” Jinx says, forcing herself up and over the makeshift shield and into the fray- if it could be called that. The street was torn up, with broken cars littering the sidewalk and what was left of the road. 

‘Titan’, as he called himself, was standing in the middle with his back to them, surveying his work with a grin. He was tall- taller even than Mammoth, much to Jinx’s surprise- and clad in white armor. She wouldn’t be surprised if it was empowering him someway. The moment her heels hit the ground, she launched a hex at the man- teenager? She couldn’t tell- while out of the corner of her eye she saw Blondie position herself and focus. Several large chunks of earth began to levitate just as a blast of pink hit Titan square in the back. 

Really, Jinx shouldn’t have been so satisfied at that pained shout, but it was hardly enough to stop him. Figures. But Blondie had launched her assault by then, giving Jinx opportunity to strengthen her next attack- or, it would have had Titan not been punching the boulders into pieces. 

“Wow.” Jinx mutters flatly, before darting to the side. She’d never been the best at strategies on the fly- she knew next to nothing about her opponent or her ally, and there were too many variables to even begin. This wasn’t a heist with a team she grew up with- but it was too late now. 

“Go for the knees!” She orders, and Blondie nods, bringing up rocks to use as projectiles while Jinx flips away from Titan’s reach. Oh, he was fast, wasn’t he? Not superspeed, thankfully, but she had been hoping the man would be on the heavier, slower side. But first, she needed Titan away from where they had been hiding. The boy was still there- and she doubted he could really do anything to defend himself against the rampage. 

Jinx would, some time later, think back to this assumption and laugh.

As Jinx had hexed Titan right in the face, just out of his reach once again Blondie tried trapping his ankles with piles of earth held together by her own will. And it was at that moment that the boy in the dark hoodie leaped over the slab of concrete that had protected the three in the beginning, adjusting what looked like a metal glove before she saw the red x on his hand- 

She could have sworn she saw electricity when Titan shouted, unable to move his leg and trying in vain to get the boy off his back. With a devious grin, Jinx flings both hands down, casting a powerful hex. Maybe it was mean, but honestly she couldn’t be bothered. 

“If you want to use that trap idea now, you can.” She says airily, gesturing to Blondie as Titan slumps down. The chances of him getting back up after that mess were slim to none, and the geokinetic was eager to pin him down further. 

There was hardly time to celebrate, though. Overhead, the sound of a helicopter caught their attention and a heavy feeling of dread settled in Jinx’s stomach. All three glanced up, the boy making the effort to shield his face with his arm- his other hand was also gloved, Jinx noticed, and a belt she was sure he hadn’t been wearing before had the same x carved into it as well. It was a minute observation in comparison to the helicopter though- she could see the local news station logo on the side, and cameras- was it broadcasting right now? Oh God, her teachers probably saw everything, probably came to the wrong conclusions, they didn’t allow excuses didn’t give people chances to explain themselves and they were harsher by the day, oh god-

“I’m so dead.” She mutters, eyes wide. 

“What? Why? You helped stop a bad guy, didn’t you?” 

“Exactly.”

Thankfully, it seems Blondie remembers who exactly Jinx is- a destructive thief who, while willing to defend her territory, generally did not do good things like stopping villains on the news while working with a mystery kid in a hoodie and someone who at least has a passing resemblance to a former Teen Titan. The two frown, and it does little to put Jinx at ease while the helicopters buzz overhead. All she wants is to run and hide and-

“Do the teachers get mad when you’re something other than pure evil or something?” 

_ Do they get mad _ . Ridiculous. It was a school for villains, for being the best at being bad, and stopping a rampaging villain does not get you points. But before Jinx can snap at her, the boy interrupts. 

“While I’m sure this would be a  _ riveting _ conversation, we have an audience and Pinkie over here is probably getting a giant target painted on her back for this. We need to go.” He says, with a slight wince that neither of the girls thought to question. 

Best idea Jinx has heard all day, really. Way better than her own plan. Should have just let the city rot. Not get in trouble with her teachers. They had, after all, cracked down since… well. It was ultimately a matter of perspective. 

Ultimately it’s the blonde girl who covers their escape, shielding them with rubble from prying eyes as they just… run, hiding in an alley with no real plan otherwise. She was supposed to be better than this- she was the leader, the most tactical of the HIVE Five, she was better than this-

“Are… are you okay?” Blondie asks, while Red X is watching their backs for them. 

Jinx looks at her hands- she didn’t even realize she was trembling, what the f- And then she starts laughing. “They’re going to kill me!” 

Both of the others shoot each other an uneasy look at that. 

“I’ve got to get out of this town. Now. I’ve- no, no, they know about the safehouse, I can’t-” Jinx trailed off into panicked mumbles, one hand holding her head and the other clutching the amethyst pendant around her neck.

“I’m gonna take that as a no there, Bubbles.” Red X mutters, looking away. He didn’t need this- today was supposed to be simple, not working with two of the most dangerous girls in the city to save it from it’s own nutjob villains, or the pain in his chest at Jinx’s panic- he just wanted some breakfast and he didn’t want to cook, god damn it. 

A hand rests on Jinx’s shoulder, and she absolutely doesn’t flinch and would tell you that anyone who says otherwise is a liar, but Blondie’s calm, almost. Compared to her initial nervousness, it’s almost jarring, and yet...

“I’ll help you get away. They’re not gonna find you, I promise.” And there’s a certain conviction in her voice that catches both Red’s and Jinx’s attention. 

She’s… not really sure what to say in the face of such a declaration. So instead Red just sighs, runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. 

“Might as well help out, I guess. I got nothin’ better to do. Besides, a mess like this is just gonna call the Titans back now. I figure we’ve got about a day before HIVE and the Titans both are on our trail.”

“I’m sorry- ‘our’?” 

“What, y’think they’ll let an accomplice go?” 

Jinx sighs and shakes her head. “No, of course not. Even if they didn’t go for you now, they’d find you later. They always do.” 

“So… you guys got any ideas? ‘Cause improv’s great and all but this is twice now we’ve just run out with no plan and I don’t think that’s a good track record.” Blondie says, crossing her arms. 

Red X shoots them a smirk. “I hear now’s a pretty good time to go on a road trip.” 

**Author's Note:**

> As the tag says, this is just a set up for something else, honestly. Welcome to the prologue of California Never Felt Like Home To Me, folks. 
> 
> Honestly I'll probably re-write this later, but before I was comfortable moving to the actual goals of this story, I wanted this out there.


End file.
